There has been plenty of sympathy for Celtic across the globe after their Champions League dream came to a crashing halt against RB Leipzig on Tuesday night.
Ange Postecoglou set up his team to go for the throat against the Bundesliga side and aided by an sizzling Parkhead atmosphere that seemed to knock the visitors out of their stride from the minute the competition's famous anthem rang out, they initially threatened to breathe fire into their European campaign.
But as was the case against Shakhtar in Poland, chance after chance came and went. Matt O'Riley rattled the post, Greg Taylor skelped the crossbar, and Daizen Maeda headed over all in the space of a few first-half seconds that summed up how their group stage campaign has played out so far in a nutshell.
With the breakthrough just refusing to come, there was a sense of the inevitable coming as the game entered its late stages and Leipzig once again proved their quality on the break. Timo Werner opened the scoring with a wonderful header before he turned provider to set up Emil Forsberg.
As ever there has been plenty of reaction all over the planet with the Hoops now out of the Champions League and hanging onto their hopes of third place by a thread. So let's get into it.
Sportschau (Germany)
Starting in Germany, there weren't too many plaudits for Leipzig who were labelled "lucky" after keeping a clean sheet against the odds. There was also some confusion after Giorgos Giakoumakis claimed for a penalty for a pull by Benjamin Henrichs, with the incident not even checked by VAR.
"After a late and lucky win against Celtic Glasgow, RB Leipzig can once again dream of reaching the round of 16 in the Champions League. Timo Werner gave the Saxons a deep lead on Tuesday in the second half at Glasgow's Celtic Park, Emil Forsberg increased the score to make it 2-0.
"Celtic responded (to the first goal) with a stormy attack but it was the Scots could not celebrate, but RB again. Shortly after Georgios Giakoumakis was held on the penalty spot by Benjamin Henrichs, which was neither penalised nor reviewed, Werner, after a beautiful pass, served Forsberg, who had come on as a substitute shortly before, and he calmly shot in from the penalty spot."
Grada 3 (Spain)
Noting that Leipzig have "scared away their ghosts" (otherwise known as their poor record in Scotland), there was some praise for Celtic in Spain - although Daizen Maeda got it in the neck for another big missed chance.
They said: "Leipzig can take comfort in the fact that they have made up lost ground in the UEFA Champions League. Overcoming their phobias, the Germans stormed to a 2-0 win over Celtic. The British side, however, put in a good performance, as dizzying in attack as they were in front of goal. In the give-and-take that was the match, the Red Bulls' goalscoring prowess was the order of the day.
"Life in Europe has not been fair to the Scottish champions this term, but Maeda's miscued header early on showed why. After the scare, Leipzig went about their business: climbing vertically with the ball. As expected, it was as complicated as it was visually entertaining. Both opponents pressing high, playing at a gale-force pace, intense all over the pitch, and unrelenting in every onslaught. As time went on, though, the Teutons gained the upper hand."
The Guardian (England)
It's been a sobering reminder for Celtic about the fine margins at the top level of European football and that's what The Guardian focused on in their post-match breakdown. They said: "Champions League campaign over, Europa League hopes hanging by a thread. Celtic continue to learn only harsh lessons against a higher standard of opponent than they ever encounter at home.
"Nobody could reasonably claim Ange Postecoglou’s team were outplayed but the more ruthless team at each end of the pitch prevailed. As Celtic attacked far more in hope than expectation, the sense grew that Leipzig would show them how it is done."
NCA (Australia)
A succinct summary in Postecoglou's homeland as NCA simply said: "Ange Postecoglou couldn't fault his Celtic side's effort. But endeavour by itself isn't enough in the Champions League. "
Washington Post (USA)
Over in the states, Timo Werner was the man making the headlines as he continued his recent revival with his first Champions League goal of the season. The former Chelsea striker is beginning to look more like the feared hitman the Stamford Bridge team thought they had signed two years ago.
"Timo Werner scored his first Champions League goal since returning to Leipzig to help secure a 2-0 win at Celtic on Tuesday, strengthening his team’s chances of advancing to the last 16 and eliminating the Scottish champions from contention.
"Substitute Emil Forsberg also scored in the final quarter of an hour as Leipzig completed back-to-back victories over Celtic in the space of seven days and ignited a group-stage campaign that started badly with losses to Shakhtar Donetsk and Real Madrid."
Ghana Soccer Net (Ghana)
Meanwhile in Ghana there was a statistical breakdown that showed just how Celtic's profligacy in front of goal has come back to bite them - with Ghana Soccer Net branding their performance "ragged." But there was plenty of praise for Greg Taylor as he was within inches of getting on the scoresheet.
"Celtic's group-stage failings were encapsulated in a dizzying sequence midway through the first half. O'Riley rattled the base of a post with a 20-yard strike and Taylor pounced on the loose ball only to scuff it on to the bar with the goal at his mercy.
"Celtic looked increasingly ragged as the second half swung from end to end and the only surprise was how long it took for a goal to arrive. Leipzig full-back Mohamed Simakan blazed over at one end, Maeda volleyed Aaron Mooy's cross wide at the other.
"Deprived of captain Callum McGregor through injury, Ange Postecoglou doubled down on his attacking philosophy and O'Riley impressed in a deeper midfield role that he's accustomed to. Left-back Greg Taylor, too, shone as the hosts gave as good as they got for much of this contest.
"The stats, though, are galling. Celtic racked up 16 shots, just two of them on target, and their XG (expected goals) of 1.75 amplifies their struggles to put the ball in the net. It became inevitable that Leipzig would not be so generous at the other end."
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